May I, 1891 .] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 
787 
KOLA; WHAT IS IT? 
Br Thomas Chbisiy, F.I.S. 
Having been consultad by several gentlemen who 
are manufacturers as to the best way of administering 
kola and introducing it amongst workmen, I thought 
it would interest you if I furnished you with a copy 
of my reply. 
It is well known that intoxication or drunkenness 
may be produced from several causes, one may be 
the craving for drink from overwork, or from indiges- 
tion, or trom pain ; and in old times it used to arise 
from sitting in the public-house for want of something 
better to do: ; but in the i)resent age of newspapers 
and the a Ivance in education, a very large number 
of psople who used to drink for want of something 
better to do now have not this excuse, therefore it is 
easier to at'ack the causes enumerated. It has been 
found that kola his an extraordinary effect on beer 
and spirits, and large bottling establishments, where 
the “ends’’ of the casks have been drawn down as 
low as it was thought safe, the thick residue has bean 
emptied into large casks, and a small quantity of kola 
stirred round, and in quite a short time it has cleared 
the beer to such an extent ihat nearly tlie whole 
quantity could be bottled off without in any way im- 
pairing its keeping qualities. 
At the Liunean Society we had the evidence put 
before us Irom gentlemen living in the West Indies 
of what they had repeatedly witnessed, viz,, that men 
who are insensibly intoxicated are by the use of kola 
restored in a very short space of time to sobriety ; 
a bad headache, produced perhaps by now spirit, is 
acted on in a very short space of time, but what is of 
more importance is this, that the craving for drink 
is at first sa'pendod, then stops, and a more healthy 
state of the system follows; bodily exercise is enjoyed, 
and the mind appears bright. 
No more tliau the owner of a mill or factory regrets 
the loss of the assistance of his manager or best 
workmen from intemperance, and to my knowledge 
the most happy results have ensued from kola in some 
form or another being used. When the head of a family 
brightens up he infuses a hcalty tone to all around 
him. 
In the y< ar 1520 cocoa was introduced, and it got 
better known about 1659. I do not propose to go 
info the merits of this fruit. Suffice it to say it 
contains about 50 per cent, of butter, which has to 
be extracted or thrown down by the addition of 
starch before it can be used as abeveiage, or it would 
produce indigestion. 
With tea the relief to a werry body is very tem- 
porary, and for a bruin-werker tlie tannin sorely 
troubles those who use it ns the most convenient form 
of stimulaut. 
Coft'ee, pure and of good quality, well made, is 
one of the greatest rarities, and few things are more 
adulterated before it reaches the consumer. Kola is 
consumed by a large number of the African i^ribes, 
and reports sent home lately to the British Govern- 
ment showed that those labourers who took it as food 
could do double as much work in one day as those 
who did not. The reports in the Press have been so 
ample that I only desire to qu jte instai ces that have 
come lately to my knowledge. I am very proud of 
having been the introducer of this valuablo food, 
and my reticence on the subject will be appreci ited. 
Many of the most wonderful records of cycling 
against time have been chronicled as largely clue to 
the use of kola. The ridcis say that though the 
e.xerfion of tlie bo.iy was at the utmost stretch, still 
the bead and brain were clear and th 1 phys'cal powers 
were stiengthenrd. Even a sinill ciuamity of kola 
hid a magical effect ; it appeared to be as much a 
tonic as an anodyne to the braiu, and whereas only 
a few minute.s before the whole of the machine was 
as laborious to work as the treadmill itself, the efforts 
of the rider were male pleasurable exercise, ana the 
desired speed was attained with less ex rtion and 
the happiest results, sj that “ beating the record " 
seemed an easy matter. There was no sense of lassitude 
or prostration, but instead a cheerful feeling pervaded 
the system ; a healthy appetite was created for food, 
and what was more important, it was digested with 
a satisfaction seldom experienced before. 
Daring the late examioatioiio many ladies felt the 
usual anxiety to surpass the “ lords of creation, ’’ 
and in London they also had to endure the thick 
atmosphere from the fog so trying to delicate 
organisations. I recommended fathers who were in 
despair when their daughters declared that they must 
give in, to try kola, bat of course without giving any 
details ns to what it was. 
In certain cases they took it for breakfast, and then 
again in the form of chocolate for lunch. The result 
was a success, and sided by the assistance to the bodily 
and mental powers thus given, the highest positions 
were gained, without the recurrence of headache or 
nervousness. 
For working people kola is prepared in the form 
of chocolate, eo that it canjbe carried in the pocket 
and a small piece broken off and eaten when the 
feeling of hunger, thirst, or weariness occurs. It acts 
in a few minutes. A teaspoonful of kolatioa at 
breakfast, in hot water or milk, or even alone, is 
sufficient for a breakfast, but the effect lasts for 
several hours. 
Many people who know of this preparation employ 
the pure kola nut, ground to a fine powder. This 
they boil with milk, but it is an acciuired taste. 
In the early part of this year a coloured doctor 
informed me that the men carrying goods for sale go 
away from the coast for journeys of 24 hours ; all 
they depend upon are kola nuts and water, and they 
bring back loads of goods that they have taken in 
barter. 
In Western Africa kola nuts have even taken the 
place or rather fill the place of a currency in some 
parts, and are very highly esteemed by the natives. 
I give the following letter from Mr. A. E, Floyer, 
F. L. s., an intrepid traveller ; — “ I think there can 
be no doubt that kola chocolate is a genuine good 
thing. I have used it a ^eat deal lately, and I 
think the following test (which I am about to say, 
was in some paints involuntary) conclusive. I went 
into the hills on the morning of the 9th with my 
shiksrri ; we did ten hours’ very severe climbing, much 
of it anxious work, in the dark ; we slept on the 
rocks, and the next day ten hours’ more very severo 
climbing, and at last got out of the mountains. It 
is no exaggeration to say that we arrived at the camp 
in capital spirits, though very leg weary. Daring these 
two days we had divided between us four biscuits, 
three oranges, and three tablets of kola chocolate ; 
practically nothing but kola. It seems to have no ill 
effects, nor interferes with ordinary stomach arrange- 
ments or with sleep. Half a cake at 10 a.ra. and the 
same at 3 p.m. and you can wait till midnight before 
you lunch, and have a good appetite when you get it. 
I am confident that its extraordinary properties have 
only to be generally known to be recognised by all 
classes of the community, and more particularly by 
persons whoso occupations are tuch as to involve 
constant and sustained employment of their vital 
powers . — Cheshire County News. 
INSECTICIDES. 
The following notes by Dr. J. C. Neal, the ento- 
mologist to the State Agricultural College, Florida, 
U. S. A., will be found of interest: — 
Nothing has been done in practical eutomolgy that 
has shown better results than the use of emulsions 
containing kerosene or insoluble poison held in 
suspension, and their application to infected plants in 
a fine spray by various atomisers and spray pumps. 
With one of these machines, an insecticide can ne 
brought into contact with the insect, and its feeding 
ground thoroughly impregnated with poison. It is 
needful that the spray be very fine, and that it be 
applied with force to reach every infected part, or the 
hiding-places of insects. For cases like infected build- 
ings, as chicken-houses, that are usually very difficult 
to keep clear of mites and tick-fleas, the spray 
of carbolised whitewash, tobacco, kerosene, oil of 
Tansy, Ac., is easily applied. 
